The Raven Boys Book Review

by Maggie Stiefvater I’d give this one 4 ley lines out of 5. There really is a lot to say about Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Boys. The first thing is, I suppose, that I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Will Patton. I must say that Patton was absolutely captivating. I felt like I was listening to Stephen King, which only added to the ambiance of this palpable book. In short, Stiefvater’s writing is something akin to hypnosis. Her diction is beautiful and practical, and I really enjoyed the rhythm to her writing. She lulls you in. The Raven Boys book cover The cover to the book is beautiful, and subtle in its simplicity. After having read the book, I realize there is more to the cover than I thought at first glance. Plot When I first read about this book, I got the impression that there was a strong romantic theme in the book, and while that is present, and in a way, central to the plot of this series, the book ended up being so much more. it was central to the plot, it wasn’t overbearing. The plot that came forward There is a real palpability to the ambiance. The setting is magical, the group of raven boys is mysterious, and the other psychic and witch-like characters just create a mystical world that I really enjoyed. (The review continues after the break) [mybooktable book=”themagicshop” display=”summary” buybutton_shadowbox=”false”] Blue lives with her mother, and other relatives – all psychics except for Blue. Blue, however, has another gift. She amplifies energy. This comes in handy for the psychics as they doing readings and other magical activity. When Blue is asked to go listen to the names of the dead on St. Mark’s Eve, she meets a boy who hasn’t died yet. She learns that this could only be possible because of one of two reasons. 1) She met her true love, or 2) she be the cause of that boy’s death. From there the plot continues to build to a boil as she meets various boys in town, and eventually this group of Aglionby boys (the Raven Boys) of which one of them is the boy that she saw in spirit. As they all come to know each other, many dark layers of the plot are revealed cleverly. The books is fairly unpredictable. There are great twists and reveals that are super satisfying. There is even a very nice twist/tease at the end of the book that I had to do some research on to make sure I understood it properly. Nicely done, Maggie. The Raven Boys Setting The settings were kept to a minimum, which I liked. All were important to the plot, or to the characters. They were described luxuriously, when the flow of the story called for it, or expressly and as needed as well. Cafes, graveyards, forests, ley lines etc., and keeping the school stuff to a minimum. I liked this approach. The Raven Boys Characters The characters were great. Each one was developed in a nice flow with the story. There is a lot of internal conflict, and angst, but not in the teenager lovy dovy way. I like how the author kept that to the bare minimum. There are hidden feelings, family and supernatural conflicts, and everything inbetween. The Raven Boys Summary If you like a good, character-driven story that is light on the romance, and heavy on the darker side of the supernatural, then you’ll surely enjoy the magic woven into every word of The Raven Boys. *Note: there is some language in this book.